Parents stuck waiting for school placements in South Africa’s richest province

Many parents in Gauteng are still awaiting confirmation regarding the placement of their children in schools for 2026.

This is according to the DA’s Gauteng Shadow MEC for Education, Sergio Dos Santos, who stated that parents are in a state of uncertainty due to the province’s failure to notify them.

According to a statement issued by the Gauteng Department of Education on 4 December, of the 358,574 grade 1 and 8 learners who applied using the online admissions system, 317,988 have been placed.

Dos Santos says that many parents have told the party they have yet to receive any information about school placements, with others being allocated schools they are unfamiliar with, or that are far from their homes.

This leaves 40,586 learners who are yet to be placed, the majority of whom are gearing up to start high school (25,056).

Despite the delay, the Department has said that every applicant with a complete application will receive a placement and that “there are no delays.”

These frustrations are evident based on posts by parents on the “Gauteng Admissions | Online Application Updates” Facebook page.

Among those seeking clarity about when they might expect a notification from the Department are parents who can’t seem to find any information about the school their child has been placed at.

“My child is from Northcliff Primary School, and he’s just been placed at Far North Secondary School? Is it a fee-paying school? What’s the home language? I am so stressed,” one anonymous user wrote.

“Hi parents, my daughter is placed at Railway Secondary School, and I’ve no idea where it is, and I can’t find it on Google. We are based in Akasia. Does anyone know where the school is? Please help,” another wrote.

As a result, the DA has demanded that the GDE urgently finalise 2026 placements and end the distress of parents seeking clarity and finalisation of the admission process ahead of the new academic year.

“The number of incomplete placements clearly indicates that the admissions system is deeply flawed and lacks the transparency and responsiveness that parents deserve, despite MEC Matome Chiloane’s assertion that it has improved,” Dos Santos said.

Department ‘working tirelessly’ to place learners

During the briefing this morning, the GDE said that it is working tirelessly to ensure that the remaining 40,586 learners are placed before the end of the academic year.

It previously said that if a parent receives a placement offer, they are encouraged to accept it as final.

If no other offers are received within seven days, the GDE states that other schools to which applications were submitted may have reached capacity.

Should parents wish to object to a placement outcome, they need to decline the placement offer by completing the electronic objection form online, which must be submitted within seven days of receipt.

These objections will then be reviewed based on merit, and outcomes will be communicated to parents within two weeks.

This outcome may be appealed, which will take a further 14 to 21 days to finalise, after which the result is final.

“Parents and guardians are once again reminded to refrain from engaging with any individual who claims to offer placement assistance in exchange for money,” Chiloane said.

“All communication from the GDE regarding placements is officially sent to applicants via SMS and the Online Admissions System. Parents are urged to remain patient and vigilant as we finalise the placement of every learner.”

The GDE states that the following criteria determine placement offers. These are applied in order of priority and not on a first-come, first-served basis:

1. Home address within the school’s feeder zone
2. Sibling(s) or previous school
3. Work address within the school’s feeder zone
4. Home address within a 30 km radius
5. Home address beyond a 30 km radius

Learners who do not receive an offer from any of the schools to which they applied will receive transfer offers from the next closest school with available space.